Edwards compares Millwall fans to Spartan Army in '300'

CARLOS Edwards has likened Millwall supporters at Valley Parade in Bradford at the weekend to the warriors in the Hollywood action flick '300'.

Despite the early kick-off last Sunday, which made arrangements to see the fixture especially awkward, almost 2,000 Lions fans made the trip up north for the first leg of the League One play-off semi-final.

It looked like it was going to be a long afternoon for them when Joe Martin handled to give Tony McMahon the chance to put the Bantams ahead from the spot.

But Lee Gregory pulled Millwall level before Steve Morison and then Martin gave them the advantage going into the second leg on Friday night.

There were 19,241 at Valley Parade last weekend and the away fans often out-sung their rivals as Millwall obliterated the opposition in the first half.

The film starring Scot Gerard Butler is a fictional account but based on a historical battle in which a small group of Spartans heroically battle to hold off the might of the Persian Army.

And Edwards praised the support the players received from their "rebels" against Phil Parkinson’s side.

“The thing about it is we knew we were going into a hostile environment,” the 37-year-old defender said. “They had almost 20,000 there.”

“But we knew our little rebels in the corner were going to be backing us regardless. It was like that movie '300'. We had our own little crew behind us.

“That’s a good thing because we wanted to be underdogs. We went there with nothing to fear and from the get-go the gaffer said: ‘We’ve come here to win the game.’

“Yes we had a little setback and Joe had a little mad moment, but who hasn’t in their career.

“Maybe in the last few years if we’d gone one-nil down you’d have seen us go into that little shell. But it’s a totally different environment now, we want it so bad.”

Millwall are 90 minutes away from Wembley for the second time this season.

And Edwards wasn’t shy in describing how much it would mean, saying: “We might chew someone’s hands off to get to Wembley, let alone lift the trophy.”